Beilein: Loyola is no Cinderella, just really, really good
Loyola doesn't have a whole lot in common with the University of Michigan, a Big Ten behemoth with an enrollment of 44,000 students and a long history of athletic success.
But the opposing coach in Saturday's national semifinal, John Beilein, is well-versed on Jesuit Catholic universities like Loyola.
"Oh, it's fantastic. I went to a Jesuit college, Wheeling Jesuit University," Beilein said Monday on a teleconference. "I spent 14 years at two Jesuit schools, Le Moyne College for nine, Canisius College, and have a lot of admiration for the Jesuit education, and also for small colleges, small universities having this opportunity."
Loyola's Cinderella story is becoming more familiar, but reaching the Final Four is an incredible achievement for a school that hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1985 and had just two 20-win seasons since.
"They're not Cinderella anymore," Beilein said. "When you win 30 games, you're not a Cinderella team, you're really good, and this team is really, really, really - that's three reallys - good.
"I know that will be our biggest thing, to make sure our kids know that."
Loyola and Michigan have similar styles. They like to spread the floor, move the ball, and both teams have a variety of guys who can be the leading scorer on a given night. Both squads like to play tight man-to-man defense in the half court. In fact, Michigan's defense might be its best asset this season.
"They're really disciplined defensively," Loyola coach Porter Moser said Monday. "Their guards get after you. They've got size. And they take pride in it. They're fourth in the country in defensive efficiency and then they're No. 1 in this tournament. … They're really hard to score against."
Loyola has had four different leading scorers in its four NCAA games - Clayton Custer, Aundre Jackson, Marques Townes and Ben Richardson. That list doesn't include Donte Ingram, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the first round to beat Miami, or Missouri Valley freshman of the year Clayton Krutwig.
Custer is the top scorer on the season at 13.2 points per game, but the Ramblers have shown they feature a deep well of reliable scorers.
"They're a lot like us. They probably cut harder than us," Beilein said. "They might pass the ball - I think they have more assists than we do. They're just a really talented, experienced team. They've got a great plan, and they execute it as good as anybody we've seen all year long.
"They're a really exceptional offensive team, but they're equally as good on defense. You look at their stats both offensively and defensively in their league, they're No. 1 in both categories."
While Beilein is learning quickly about the Loyola legend, Moser keeps getting questions about how his guys will handle the spotlight of the Final Four.
The Ramblers didn't play in front of many big crowds in the regular season, but Moser was asked the spotlight questions before the tournament and the round of 16.
"I've let them enjoy this ride. How can I not? I would have loved to have gone on this ride as a player," he said. "I want them to enjoy it. I want them to embrace it.
"And the reason why I feel like I can is because this group, every time we've had to lock in on practice, on film, on whatever it's been - they're all in. I love that they're enjoying this."